Chapter 613:

At a party brimming with Wat scar's elite, Freda sat elegantly on a leather couch, a glass of red wine in hand. She chatted with a woman her age, but her eyes kept drifting to her right.

"Freda, what are you staring at? Is it Theo?" The woman across from Freda noticed her distraction and smiled. "You and Theo have a history, right? Even though you broke up, there's no harm in saying hello."

Freda's cheeks flushed. She waved her hand awkwardly. "I don't think it's a good idea. We ended things a long time ago. It would be weird to just go up and say hi."

Her friend sensed her hesitation. "Come on, it's just a greeting. What's the big deal? Go on!"

With a playful push, she sent Freda stumbling forward in her high heels. Freda steadied herself, then turned to see her friend giving her an encouraging wave. Turning back to Theo, Freda hoped he would be polite in front of the other guests.

Taking a deep breath, Freda adjusted her fringe, slightly lifted the hem of her dress, and nervously approached Theo. "Theo, what a pleasant surprise to see you here," she greeted him.

Theo had been deep in conversation with a friend. A flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes when he saw Freda, but he quickly concealed it.

Raising his glass, he clinked it with Freda's and said calmly, "It has been a while. I didn't expect to see you here. How have you been?"

Freda was overjoyed by Theo's calm demeanor. She hoped he no longer disliked her.

"Can I have the first dance with you later?" Freda asked, blushing but trying to appear composed.

"Of course, it's my honor, Miss Jimenez," Theo replied without hesitation.

"Great. I'll come find you later." Freda returned to her friend.

Once Freda was out of earshot, Theo's friend asked curiously, "Didn't you promise another woman your first dance about ten minutes ago? Who do you actually want to dance with?"

Taking a sip of wine, Theo replied calmly, "The one I truly wanted to dance with didn't show up. As for these two, I couldn't care less."

Theo's friend gasped. He knew exactly who Theo meant. He had heard that Elyse, who had suffered a miscarriage, was recuperating at home and wouldn't be attending events recently.

After a moment, he asked, "Elyse is married to Jayden, and they even have a child. Why are you still hung up on her? And Jayden's not a cripple, is he? How do you plan to win Elyse back?"

"Shut up! Don't mention it!" Theo vehemently rejected the topic. The last thing he wanted to acknowledge was Jayden's ability to walk, dashing his hopes of winning Elyse back.

Accepting the truth, Theo realized his plans to pursue Elyse were futile. He hadn't even had the chance to take the first step. His dreams were shattered.

Seeing Theo's pain, his friend tried to comfort him. "Let it go. You missed your chance with Elyse. Now, she's living a good life. Why would she abandon everything for you?"

Theo's heart ached as his friend's words resonated. Deep down, he realized he hadn't valued Elyse. Elyse had once shown him sincere love, which he had belittled and carelessly discarded.

But losing her, he realized some things were priceless, far beyond material wealth. Love, once seeming like a fleeting dream, was very real. When Elyse left, Theo realized how much he needed her. It dawned on him that it wasn't Elyse who needed him; it was he who desperately needed her.

Despite his wealth, Theo felt his heart was barren and desolate. Born into a rich family, he'd never lacked material possessions, but without Elyse, he felt he had nothing.

Theo sighed and admitted, "Elyse used to treat me like a king. She was so good to me that it inflated my ego. I even thought I was the greatest man in the world."

His friend was baffled. "Where did you get that confidence?"

"Haha, it was from Elyse. I felt like the most awesome man in the world when I was loved by her." Theo chuckled, but his smile faded.

With a heavy heart, he said, "But I was too arrogant. I should have been the happiest man in the world, not the most arrogant."

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